Friday, October 29, 2010

I am about as disconnected to the farm as I've ever been, but I have been missing it and wanting to give an update on it--as best I can. So here it is:

Ovine: The big, new sheep have been combined with the small, old sheep and they are happily grazing inside their electronet fence. I said we were done acquiring animals for this year (maybe I said it more than once) but I was mistaken: we bought a ram. We'll keep him for a month or two and then sell him to another young farmer who keeps sheep not far away.

Porcine: The two little piggies are just about of feed, which means that their lives are just about over. We'll wait for a good weather before we do them in.

Bovine: Cows moved into the barn for the winter about two weeks ago, along with the Haflingers, and, as such, the barn smells, all of a sudden, quite barn-y.

Chick-ine (?): All happily living in their tractors. Donated Araucana roosters are in the belly or in the freezer, and our new batch of hens should be laying in six to eight weeks. More eggs: something I'm looking forward to.

Dry Beans: Almost totally threshed and winnowed--a beautiful palette including Jacobs Cattle, Jacobs Gold, Marifax, Bumblebee, Calypso, Pinto, Crow River Black, King of the Early, Cannellini, and Black Turtle beans.

Tyler, Elsie & Dad at the thresher

Winnower, or fanning mill.

Final drying in the barn on screens.

Equine: April and May have been plowing and discing the future veggie and blueberry fields. The seat on the disc harrow broke while Tyler was sitting on it, so now he's mostly just plowing. And attending the animal power field days in Vermont, and getting all fired up, and looking after the farm in all its small intricacies and huge needs. Thank you, thank you, Tyler.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Welcoming Ada Ruth!

The long pause on blog entries has been due not to a dearth of excitement but rather to an overwhelming amount of momentousness! Our baby, Ada Ruth Yentes-Quinn, was born at 4:23 am on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. She weighed 8 lbs, 3 0z, was 20 3/8 inches long, and she is a star. Chris and Lucretia attended the birth, and of course Seth. Julie, the other midwife, almost made it, and had she been driving at 80 mph from Mount Desert Island instead of only 70 mph she would have gotten here in time--as it was, she was there for most of the important parts afterward.

I want to give a giant thank you to everyone who has helped us out in the last two and a half weeks with food, laundry, dishes, company, and work on the farm. The local family members kept us overflowing with tasty dishes and help in many forms from day one, and the not-so-local family members have been beating back the piles of dishes and diapers and building our house and threshing our beans and mucking our barn for close to two weeks now. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thanks also to everyone who sent kind words through phone, mail and email. It has been such a boost, even though I may not get the chance to personally thank each person.

Here are some photos of Ada and our families, for those who are interested.

Just a few minutes after she was born...

Chris giving Ada her newborn check-up, under the watchful eyes of the family.

Above: Ada about to get weighed.
Below: Copious numbers of photos of Ada and people who adore her.




David

Mary Kate, my dearest one and only sister.

Gran, Aunt Mary Kate, Greatgran

Granhappy

Grandad

Ada and a good view of the super-cute hemangioma on her ear--something that will probably go away by itself over time.

Noni and Grandpa

On the second floor of our little house!